EIL Intercultural Learning

Danielle Rosenberg Polak and Qiqa Mcilong ration out fruit to children at a HIV awareness talk.

As our final week here in South Africa looms, special moments and memories have already formed. After spending time with the NGO, we then moved on the HIV and AIDS Clinic, where we are volunteering now. This is a day hospital with a special ARV unit (the medication taken when you are HIV+ and your CD4 count is less than 250). The unit is divided into sections where there are doctors, counsellors, nutritionists and personal advocates. All of them are there to help and support clients who have contracted HIV.

This picture was taken at Freedom Farm Township where we gave out fruit as a way of attracting people to the awareness talk. The girls name is 'Pop.

Today felt like an “Irish Day” here in South Africa as the sky clouded over with grey mist and heavy rainfall. However, this rainfall was a blessing for the South Africans as it allowed the reservoirs and lakes to fill with fresh water to prepare for the annual drought of the Summer to follow. People seemed quite happy with the change in the weather pattern from the last month of blistering sun and dry earth to a more damp, wet and cold atmosphere.

Just about three weeks here and wow, what a whirlwind it has been. We arrived in Cape Town to be greeted by a member of SASTS and were orientated at a volunteer house for one night. The big thing about South Africans is their sense of time, everyone is very laid back along with being super friendly. We then were transported to our host family where we were greeted by a big family of a grandma, grandpa, their daughter and her husband and their three young children.

Orientation  Arriving in South Africa was daunting; I honestly didn’t have a clue what to do really. But as I met the other volunteers on my orientation group I started to relax. The orientation week was a great way to see how truly beautiful South Africa’s landscape is and it allowed us to grasp a glimpse into the various different aspects of South African culture from it’s animals and wildlife to it’s scenery, history and enterprise.

Gill and Smumgele (one of the children at the after care). Photo by Gill Carter, Global Awareness Volunteer in South Africa 2010

Gill and her adorable host sisters (lathittha and lilitta). Photo by Gill Carter, Global Awareness Volunteer in South Africa 2010

Babalwa before she goes to a traditional dance proformance. Photo by Gill Carter, Global Awareness Volunteer in South Africa 2010